Queens Park Rangers missed the chance to climb out of the bottom three this afternoon as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Wilfried Zaha's goal midway through the first half opened the scoring for the hosts, who added two more through James McArthur and Joel Ward before the interval.
The visitors were forced to wait until the 83rd minute for any sort of reply, when Matt Phillips fired a 40-yard rocket into the top corner for a stunning consolation.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a London derby which could have a big say on the relegation battle.
Match statistics
CRYSTAL PALACE
Shots: 15
On target: 4
Possession: 43%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 17
QPR
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 57%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
Absolutely. Palace are not exactly the sort of team who dominate matches, and the possession shows that they did not even see as much of the ball as the visitors, but they were never in any danger of losing this match. The game was over as a contest before half time, with two goals in the space of 90 seconds for the hosts killing off any potential QPR challenge.
That challenge never came anyway and, while a three-goal lead at the break flattered Palace a little, the lack of fight and ambition shown by QPR would have made it an accurate full-time result, despite the Eagles taking their foot off the gas in the second half.
Palace won this match because they were so clinical but, one moment of magic from Phillips aside, the visitors barely even got the chance to hit back. It was not exactly a feast of football, but then it was never expected to be. The hosts were comfortably the better side on the day and had all of the weapons to hurt QPR, who can have no complaints at being so convincingly beaten.
Crystal Palace's performance
Having struggled at Selhurst Park so far under Alan Pardew, the former Newcastle United boss would have seen this game as the perfect opportunity to get a valuable home win under his belt. It proved to be exactly that, with the points wrapped up before half time and Palace picking up one of the most comfortable victories that they would have ever experienced in the Premier League. They were barely made to fight for it at all and, had they not taken their foot off the gas in the second half, they could have won by more.
Their wide players were the key to this result, with Yannick Bolasie and Zaha giving their respective full-backs a torrid time down either flank. All three of their goals came from one of those two, and QPR had no answer to it. The two goals in as many minutes just before half time took the stuffing out of QPR, but 3-0 at the break did flatter the hosts. They were in cruise control throughout the second half, though, and found things just as easy as they did in the opening 45 minutes.
Defeat this afternoon may have threatened to drag Palace back down into the relegation scrap, but the victory surely means that they are now safe. It has opened up an 11-point gap between themselves and the bottom three, and the Eagles are now closer to the top half than they are to danger. They did not even have to be at their best to get this win today, but Pardew will be pleased with how clinical his side were. Three shots on target and three goals in the first half saw them ease to the victory.
QPR's performance
QPR fans must be very worried after watching this performance. The bare minimum required for a relegation battle is desire, heart and intensity. All three of those things, along with a host of other attributes, were absent for the visitors today. They just never got going and failed to apply a concerted spell of pressure at any point in the match, allowing Palace to cruise to the most comfortable of victories. It was embarrassing to watch the lack of ambition.
Even after Phillips's stunner, QPR maintained their sideways and backwards passing that did nothing to put Palace under any sort of pressure. The Hoops had actually started the match fairly brightly, but the opening goal saw their heads drop and the two more before half time killed off any hope of a comeback. Even so, the lack of a response was the most alarming thing today. Mistakes and poor play can be excised to a certain extent, but this was one of the most tepid, uninterested and defeatist displays of the season, just when the opposite was needed.
Adel Taarabt was unable to provide the creative spark needed, but he was one of few who even seemed to be trying for Chris Ramsey's side. Charlie Austin barely got a kick up front, while the lack of contribution from the wingers was exaggerated even more by the impact of Bolasie and Zaha at the other end. Phillips's strike was special and at least gave the visiting fans something to cheer, but it will not paper over the cracks today. Put simply, QPR were diabolical and if they do not improve immeasurably then they will be playing Championship football again next season.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yannick Bolasie: At his best, Bolasie can be almost unplayable, and he made a huge difference in the first half today. He gave young Darnell Furlong the runaround, so much so that the QPR full-back was taken off at the break. The Palace winger picked up two assists with brilliant crosses into the six-yard box and was a constant menace. His influence waned a little in the second half as the hosts took their foot off the gas, but the damage had already been done.
Biggest gaffe
At the risk of picking on Furlong, the full-back was drawn too far in during the build-up to the first goal. It was not a glaring error, but it allowed Bolasie the space to provide the assist for Zaha's opener, which took the stuffing out of QPR.
Referee performance
Lee Mason had a fairly straightforward game this afternoon. He was a little lenient at times, but not to the extent that either side will feel hard done by.
What next?
Crystal Palace: Next up for Palace is a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke City a week from today.
QPR: QPR, meanwhile, will look to bounce back at home to Everton next Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
